Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Amid speculation about the possible shakeup in the telecom sector due to the proposed entry of Elon Musk’s Starlink into the Indian markets, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said the satellite-based internet will be used as a complementary technology, supporting but not replacing terrestrial network, dominated by Reliance Jio and Airtel.
Speaking at a media conference, Scindia said the government intends to bring satellite telecom services in the country as soon as possible.
He said the focus of the new technology would be essentially on providing connectivity in areas where traditional towers and optical fibres are impractical.
The minister informed that the government has granted two licences and issued one Letter of Intent for satellite-based internet services.
Musk-led Starlink, which has been vying to enter the Indian market for years, received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently.
The firms that have been granted Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licenses by the DoT include Airtel group-backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio-backed Jio Satellite Communications.